2012 New York Red Bulls Season
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The 2012 New York Red Bulls season was the club's 18th year of existence as well as its 17th season in
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
, the top-flight of American soccer. After a disappointing 2011 season, Red Bulls looked to bounce back to their 2010 form which saw them win the Eastern Conference. In 2011, New York finished fifth place in the conference and tenth overall in MLS, qualifying as the final team for the playoffs. The club lost in the two-legged quarterfinals of the post-season playoffs to the eventual MLS Cup winner
Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
.


Team uniform


Overview


November 2011

The 2012 season began in earnest for MLS immediately after the
2011 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2011, the 16th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was played between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2011 season. The soccer match was played at the Home Depot Center in C ...
final. The following day clubs submitted their list of players protected from selection by Montreal Impact in the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft held on November 23, 2011. No Red Bull players were chosen by Montreal in the draft. However, on the same day MLS clubs waived players, effectively releasing them from their contracts. Through waivers, New York parted ways with goalkeeper Alex Horwath; defenders Mike Jones, Tyler Lassiter, and Teddy Schneider; and midfielders John Rooney and Marcos Paullo. One week later, the club declined the 2012 options on goalkeeper
Bouna Coundoul Bouna Coundoul (born March 4, 1982) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who coached New Amsterdam FC in the National Independent Soccer Association. Coundoul played as a goalkeeper. Between 2007 and 2016 he played for the Senegal na ...
, defender
Chris Albright Christopher John Albright (born January 14, 1979) is an American former professional soccer player and current general manager for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati. Youth and college Albright attended William Penn Charter School. A ...
, and defender Carlos Mendes, making all three players available for the
2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 5, 2011 (Stage 1) and December 12, 2011 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs participated. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the traditional Wai ...
. Mendes had been the longest-tenured member of Red Bulls and was the last player remaining from when the franchise was known as New York MetroStars. He ranks among the club's all-time leaders in games and minutes. Mendes was chosen by
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
in Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Draft on December 5, 2011. Coundoul and Albright were not selected and became free agents. The same day the club confirmed the status of 2011 Red Bull goalkeeper Greg Sutton, who was also available in the Re-Entry Draft. Sutton had been loaned to then-
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...
side Montreal Impact in July 2011. At season's end, Montreal exercised an option to acquire Sutton's MLS rights but subsequently declined his 2012 option.


December 2011

The club signed defender
Connor Lade Connor Lade (born November 16, 1989) is an American former professional soccer player. As a utility player, he played several positions during his professional career, most commonly as a right back. Lade currently serves as the Senior Manager of ...
to a Home Grown Player contract on December 5, 2011. The diminutive Lade spent parts of several years with Red Bull Academy. The following week New York announced that it had declined the 2012 contract option on midfielder
Stéphane Auvray Stéphane Auvray (born 4 September 1981) is a Guadeloupean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He served as captain of the Guadeloupe team. Club career Born in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, Auvray grew up in Saint Martin and m ...
.


January 2012

Red Bulls signed defender John Borrajo from Norwegian side
Hamarkameratene Hamarkameratene (), often abbreviated to HamKam or Ham-Kam, is a Norwegian professional football club based in the town of Hamar. The club was founded in 1918, originally under the name Freidig. HamKam were most recently promoted to the Elites ...
on January 5, 2012. Borrajo had spent time at Red Bulls Academy before heading overseas. A much bigger move was confirmed by the club the next day: the short-term loan of star striker
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
to his former club, English juggernaut
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. The loan lasts until late February 2012. The club was busy on SuperDraft day despite having only one selection. First, the rumored signing of Swedish defender Markus Holgersson was officially announced. The central defender is expected to step into a starting role for New York. The day's second announcement was the acquisition of forward
Kenny Cooper Kenneth Scott Cooper Jr. (born October 21, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward. He began his soccer career with Manchester United but failed to break through to the first team. He went on to play for clubs in Por ...
from
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
in exchange for a first-round pick in the
2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draf ...
and allocation money. The addition of Cooper to the forward corps led to speculation about the future of
Juan Agudelo Juan Sebastián Agudelo (born November 23, 1992) is a professional soccer player who plays as a striker for San Antonio FC. Born in Colombia, he represented the United States national team. After moving from Colombia to New Jersey at an ear ...
with the club. As far as the actual SuperDraft, Red Bulls used its lone selection (#31) to choose goalkeeper Ryan Meara. The first goalkeeper chosen in the 2012 SuperDraft, Meara is considered a good bet to make the squad. The following week the club drafted three players in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft: defender Mike Volk, midfielder Cristian Barreiro, and midfielder Nate Polak. The club also re-signed defender
Stephen Keel Stephen Keel (born April 11, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender Career College and amateur Keel was born in Littleton, Colorado. He played college soccer at Wake Forest University from 2001 to 2004 ...
to a new contract. On January 19, coach
Hans Backe Hans Roland "Hasse" Backe (; born 14 February 1952) is a Swedish football manager and former player who most recently led Finland's national team. Prior to this he managed the New York Red Bulls. He has coached clubs in Sweden, Norway, Greece ...
confirmed that goalkeeper
Frank Rost Frank Rost (born 30 June 1973) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He comes from a sporting family background; his father Peter won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in handball, and his mother Christina ...
would not be returning to the club. The following day oft-injured veteran midfielder
Carl Robinson Carl Philip Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a Welsh former international footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach at Atlanta United FC. Early life Robinson was born and raised in Llandrindod Wells, ...
retired and joined the coaching staff of
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...
. These moves freed up one
designated player A designated player may refer to: *Designated Player Rule, a Major League Soccer rule for players over the salary cap *Designated player (NBA), a National Basketball Association exemption for contract extensions * Designated player (softball), a so ...
slot (Rost) and two much needed international roster slots for Red Bulls. Early the following week, New York signed goalkeeper
Jeremy Vuolo Jeremy Jospeh Vuolo (born September 5, 1987) is a former American soccer player for Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League and Finnish second tier Ykkönen. After marrying Jinger Duggar (one of the 19 Duggar children of ''19 Kids and ...
from Finnish side
AC Oulu AC Oulu is a Finnish professional football club based in Oulu, currently playing in Finland's premier division, ''Veikkausliiga''. Formed in 2002, the club have played six seasons in Finland's highest football league Veikkausliiga and 16 seasons ...
. January 26 saw the official departure of defender
Tim Ream Timothy Michael Ream (born October 5, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC and captains the United States national team. Youth and college soccer Born in St. Lo ...
to
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
of the
English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
after a month-long transfer saga. A virtual unknown when selected by red Bulls in the second round of the
2010 MLS SuperDraft The 2010 MLS SuperDraft was the eleventh annual MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 14, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America, NSCAA Conv ...
, Ream established himself as a starter from day one, finished his first season as a finalist for the 2010 MLS Rookie of the Year award, and secured a place with the
United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...
. Bolton paid a record transfer fee for an American defender, reportedly in the $3 million range, to sign Ream. Red Bulls will receive 2/3 of the transfer amount and can use $650,000 of that as allocation money to override the MLS salary cap. New York put some of the Ream transfer funds to immediate use when four days later the club traded allocation money to Chicago Fire for the MLS rights to defender
Wilman Conde Wilman Fernando Conde Roa, Jr. (born August 29, 1982 in Cali) is a Colombian footballer. Career Professional Conde made his professional debut with Deportes Quindío during the 2000 campaign. His play at Quindío led to interest from the top Co ...
, whom New York signed immediately. Conde is expected to start in central defense with fellow January signing Markus Holgersson. Red Bulls finished the month by re-signing stalwart midfielder
Joel Lindpere Joel Lindpere (born 5 October 1981) is an Estonian football coach and former professional player. Lindpere played as a midfielder for Nõmme Kalju, Lelle, Flora, Valga, CSKA Sofia, Tromsø, New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire, and Baník Ost ...
to a multi-year contract on January 31. The club Most Valuable Player in 2010, Lindpere started all 37 MLS matches in 2011.


February

The first signing by the club after the start of training camp was draft pick goalkeeper Ryan Meara on February 6. Four days later New York signed young Icelandic midfielder
Victor Pálsson Guðlaugur Victor Pálsson (born 30 April 1991) is an Icelandic professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Plymouth Argyle. He has previously played for Liverpool F.C., Liv ...
to the squad. The club surprised fans on February 17 by waiving second-year homegrown players
Matt Kassel Matthew Timothy Kassel (born October 30, 1989) is a retired American soccer player and current color commentator for Bethlehem Steel FC in the USL. Career College and amateur Kassel attended Bridgewater-Raritan High School. He began his car ...
and
Šaćir Hot Šaćir Hot (; born June 10, 1991) is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of FC Motown of the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two. Career College and amateur Hot grew up in Fair Lawn, New Je ...
. While 2012 playing time for the two was likely to be limited, the young players were just signed from Red Bulls Academy in 2011 and did not count against the team's salary cap. Also, team captain
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
returned from his short-term loan to Arsenal the same day that Kassel and Hot were waived.


March

Pre-season concluded in early March with the status of some key players still unresolved. Forward Luke Rodgers was still stuck in England unable to obtain a work visa to return to the United States; newly acquired defender Wilman Conde picked up an injury leaving his status for the first month of the regular season unknown; and forward Juan Agudelo was away from the club for an extended period as he trained with the U.S. Under-23 squad. In the days just before the regular season began, New York made official the signings of defender
Tyler Ruthven Tyler Ruthven (born July 18, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. Career College and amateur Ruthven attended Roswell High School and Milton High School and played club soccer for the Concorde Fire ...
, midfielder Brandon Barklage and forwards
José Angulo José Angulo (born 13 January 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for New Amsterdam FC in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). Career Youth Angulo grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the ...
and
Jhonny Arteaga Jhonny Alexandre Arteaga (born 24 November 1986) is a Colombian former footballer and current football coach. Career Youth and College Arteaga grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, where he attended Westhill High School before playing college socc ...
. Later in the month the club signed midfielder
Ryan Maduro Ryan Maduro (born April 6, 1986) is an American soccer player who currently plays for the Rhode Island Oceaneers. Career College and amateur Maduro attended Mt. Hope High School and was regarded as one of the top players in Rhode Island befo ...
to the roster. The season started poorly with a 2–1 defeat at
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
on March 11, 2012. A sluggish start led to a 2-goal deficit at the hour mark. The introduction of
Kenny Cooper Kenneth Scott Cooper Jr. (born October 21, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward. He began his soccer career with Manchester United but failed to break through to the first team. He went on to play for clubs in Por ...
sparked some life into the club and the Red Bull substitute scored late in the match to close the final margin to one. The following week Red Bulls had to travel to
Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
. Another sub-par performance resulted in a 2–0 defeat. On March 25,
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
home opener, the team finally showed glimpses of unity and talents by sweeping
Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...
4–1 in front of 21,024 passionate supporters.
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
scored two goals and picked up an assist, winning him the MLS Player of the Week award. Strike partner Kenny Cooper added two goals as well. A week after the dominating performance in home opener, Red Bulls host Montreal Impact in Red Bull Arena. They started poorly with many mistakes in the first half. The scoreline reads 2–2 at half time. After the inspiring talk from team captain Thierry Henry, Red Bulls put on a performance fans expected from them. Thierry Henry added 2 goals and 1 creative back-heel assist in the second half, which earn him his first-ever MLS hat trick since joining
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
. He was again rewarded the MLS Player of the Week with his heroic performance and leadership on and off the field. Also, his hat trick against Impact launched him to the top of
MLS Golden Boot The MLS Golden Boot (currently commercially termed "Audi Golden Boot") has been awarded since the 2005 Major League Soccer season, 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular–season leading scorer. The award replaced the MLS Scoring Champion ...
race with 5 goals in pocket. Away from the field, the end of March was not kind to New York. Striker
Juan Agudelo Juan Sebastián Agudelo (born November 23, 1992) is a professional soccer player who plays as a striker for San Antonio FC. Born in Colombia, he represented the United States national team. After moving from Colombia to New Jersey at an ear ...
injured his knee while with the U.S. U-23 team during Olympic qualifying and surgery was required. The time frame for his return to Red Bulls was 6 weeks. Worse still, the club announced on March 30 that English striker
Luke Rodgers Luke John Rodgers (born 1 January 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in England's Football League, starting at Shrewsbury Town in 1999. Rodgers spent six years with the Shropshire side and made ...
was denied a work visa to enter the United States. As a result, the club transferred Rodgers to
Lillestrøm SK Lillestrøm Sportsklubb is a Norwegian professional football club based in the city of Lillestrøm, just outside of the capital Oslo. Lillestrøm SK is a Norwegian football club based in Lillestrøm, playing in Eliteserien. The club was founde ...
of Norway. The stocky Englishman had become a fan favorite during the 2011 season due to his work ethic and goal scoring abilities. ''MLS Results for March'': 2 victories, 0 draws, 2 losses; 6 points
''MLS Results Season-to-Date'': 2 victories, 0 draws, 2 losses; 6 points, 2nd in
Eastern Conference (MLS) The Eastern Conference () is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with c ...
through 4 matches


April

On April 5,
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
received the MLS Player of the Month award for his outstanding performance in March. He received 17 out of 25 media votes, beating the second-placed Joe Cannon by big margin. Team captain Henry seemed no sign to stop his goal-scoring streak by adding 2 goals and 1 assist against
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
at Crew Stadium on April 7. His brace maintains him as the leader in
MLS Golden Boot The MLS Golden Boot (currently commercially termed "Audi Golden Boot") has been awarded since the 2005 Major League Soccer season, 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular–season leading scorer. The award replaced the MLS Scoring Champion ...
race with 7 goals in 5 games. His strike partner
Kenny Cooper Kenneth Scott Cooper Jr. (born October 21, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward. He began his soccer career with Manchester United but failed to break through to the first team. He went on to play for clubs in Por ...
and
Chris Wondolowski Christopher Elliott Wondolowski (born January 28, 1983) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He was MLS's MLS Golden Boot, top scorer in the 2010 Major ...
are not far behind with 6 goals each. History has been made when
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
was awarded another MLS Player of the Week, making it three consecutive Player of the Week for the striker. On April 14, the Red Bulls hosted
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
and played to a 2–2 draw. The game featured the three leading MLS goal scorers at the time (Henry, Cooper, and Wondolowski of the Earthquakes). Henry set up Cooper to open the scoring only five minutes into the match.
Dax McCarty Michael Dax McCarty (born April 30, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. McCarty spent his entire professional career in Major League Soccer with six different clubs. Early career McCarty was raise ...
scored for the first time in his career, and Wondolowski scored the tying goal for San Jose. A week later, Red Bulls travelled to Washington to face
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
. The home team controlled the play in the rain and won 4–1. Henry scored on a free kick, but not until after
Chris Pontius Chris Pontius (born July 16, 1974) is an American stunt performer and television personality. He is best known as a cast member of the reality comedy show '' Jackass'' and co-host of its spinoff '' Wildboyz'' with fellow cast member Steve-O. ...
scored three times and
Nick DeLeon Nicholas Lee DeLeon (born July 17, 1990) is an American professional soccer player. Although he is capable of playing as a full-back, he typically plays as a wide midfielder, working towards the center. He is highly regarded for his work rate a ...
scored once for D.C. United. New York hosted the
New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...
on April 28 and posted their first clean sheet of the year in a 1-0 win. Henry scored the eventual deciding goal for the Red Bulls in the seventh minute, but would leave the game in the first half with a hamstring injury. The Red Bulls young, inexperienced defense and rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara were able to make Henry's goal stand, and the Red Bulls snapped their two-game winless streak. ''MLS Results for April'': 2 victories, 1 draws, 1 losses
''MLS Results Season-to-Date'': 4 victories, 1 draws, 3 losses; 13 points, 3rd in
Eastern Conference (MLS) The Eastern Conference () is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with c ...
through 8 matches


May

The Red Bulls began May without their leading scorer, Henry, and a "makeshift" defense. They traveled to California for a match against
Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
on May 5.
Joel Lindpere Joel Lindpere (born 5 October 1981) is an Estonian football coach and former professional player. Lindpere played as a midfielder for Nõmme Kalju, Lelle, Flora, Valga, CSKA Sofia, Tromsø, New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire, and Baník Ost ...
scored the only goal of the game for the Red Bulls while the defense kept Galaxy from scoring en route to a 1-0 win. The Red Bulls then had to play on short rest on May 9 at home against the
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
. For the third straight game, New York was able to score early and play tight defense to win 1–0. The goal was scored by forward Cooper. On Sunday, May 13, New York traveled to Pennsylvania to play the
Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...
in their third game in eight days. Still without Henry and
Rafael Márquez Rafael Márquez Álvarez (; born 13 February 1979) is a Mexican football coach and former player who played as a defender. He is currently the assistant coach of the Mexico national team. Nicknamed '' El Káiser'', he is regarded as the bes ...
, the Red Bulls were able to win the match 3–2 in comeback fashion. New York scored first on a goal from Lindpere in the 17th minute, but
Lionard Pajoy Lionard Fernando Pajoy Ortiz (born June 7, 1981) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Alianza Universidad. Career Early career in Colombia Pajoy began his career with Cortulua debuting with the first team during ...
scored the next two to give Philadelphia a 2–1 lead. The lead would not hold, however. Philadelphia was forced to play with ten men after
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu (born June 2, 1989) is an American former professional soccer player who played as an attacking midfielder. From before the time of his signing with D.C. United at the age of 14, Adu was spoken of as "the next Pel ...
was sent off late in the first half, and New York was able to come back to win. After a goal by Markus Holgersson in the 68th minute, Cooper netted the game winner in the 78th minute. The win was New York's fourth and moved them into first place in the Eastern Conference. On May 17, New York traded up-and-coming striker
Juan Agudelo Juan Sebastián Agudelo (born November 23, 1992) is a professional soccer player who plays as a striker for San Antonio FC. Born in Colombia, he represented the United States national team. After moving from Colombia to New Jersey at an ear ...
for defensemen
Heath Pearce Heath Pearce (born August 13, 1984) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender for teams in Europe and North America. He represented his national team on 35 occasions. Pearce is the host of "The Mixer," "KPR" (Ki ...
of
Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...
. Agudelo, a Red Bulls Academy product, played little so far in his career with New York. He had no goals in 2012 and six in 2011 in 12 starts. Pearce had 35 caps for the US National team up to this point in his career. The Red Bulls traveled to Montreal to face the
Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...
on May 19. The Red Bulls were able to end Montreal's season-long unbeaten streak at home by winning 2-1. After Cooper scored on a penalty kick in the first half, Dane Richards scored on a rebound opportunity in the second half while the Red Bull were playing with ten men. On short rest, New York would host
Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...
on May 23 and face the recently traded Agudelo.
Juan Pablo Ángel Juan Pablo Ángel Arango (born 24 October 1975) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career at Nacional, whom he helped to win the championship in 1994, and then moved to River Plate of Argenti ...
scored first for Chivas in the 47th minute, but Cooper answered in the 56th to tie the game when he converted a low cross from Richards into the box. New York was unable to find a winner despite being able to apply pressure for much of the rest of the game. The draw snapped the Red Bull's five-game win streak—their longest in nine years. ''MLS Results for May'': 4 victories, 1 draws, 0 losses
''MLS Results Season-to-Date'': 8 victories, 2 draws, 3 losses; 26 points, 1st in
Eastern Conference (MLS) The Eastern Conference () is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with c ...
through 13 matches


September

Team captain
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
shone in the matches against
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
and
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
, which earned him another two MLS Player of the Week. He provided two goals and one assist against
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
with a goal scoring directly off the corner in second half stoppage time. The legendary striker scored an assist hat-trick before scoring a 25 yards one-time chipped shot against
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
. ''MLS Results Season-to-Date'': 15 victories, 8 draws, 8 losses; 53 points, 2nd in
Eastern Conference (MLS) The Eastern Conference () is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference. The division of the conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with c ...
through 31 matches


Team information


Squad

''As of August 17, 2012.''


Player movement


Transfers


In


Out


Loans


Out


Club


Team stats

''Italic'': denotes no longer with club. ''Updated as of June 24.''


Match results


Pre-season

Kickoff times are in EST.


Desert Diamond Cup


= Standings

=


= Matches

=


Friendlies


Major League Soccer


Eastern Conference table


Results summary


Results by round


Matches

Kickoff times are in EDT.


MLS Cup Playoffs

Kickoff times are in EDT.


U.S. Open Cup

Kickoff times are in EDT.


Miscellany


Allocation ranking

New York is in the #11 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking.


International roster spots

It is believed that New York has 11
MLS International Roster Slots MLS International Roster Slots are an important piece of roster composition in Major League Soccer. MLS employs a variety of mechanisms to promote parity and domestic player development which include player entry drafts, expansion drafts, allocati ...
for use in the 2012 season. It is believed the three extra slots that New York possesses were acquired from the
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
franchise (then based in San Jose) in January 2005 in exchange for
Ricardo Clark Ricardo Anthony Clark (born February 10, 1983) is an American former soccer player who played as a midfielder. He appeared for MetroStars, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew SC in the United States, Eintracht Frankfurt in ...
, again from Houston in March 2009, and from
Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...
in the September 2010
Macoumba Kandji Macoumba "Mac" Kandji (born 2 August 1985) is a Senegalese professional footballer. Career Early life and college Kandji was born in Senegal, raised in The Gambia, and came to the United States in 2003. He attended East Mecklenburg High Schoo ...
trade. The trade of this spot was not included in the press release.


Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: *
2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draf ...
conditional draft pick from
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
; * Unspecified year conditional draft pick from
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
.
Future picks traded: *
2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draf ...
Round 1 to
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
; *
2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draf ...
Round 2 to
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
; * 2014 MLS Supplemental Draft Round 2 pick to
Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2012 New York Red Bulls Season New York Red Bulls seasons
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
Red bulls